On this we should all agree: the revolution of smartphone adoption is over and it is no gross generalization to assert that each incoming SIUE student has a one. Given this, as educators, we should be past treating them like a nuisance fad, and we should be working to increase our students' knowledge so that they can properly leverage these ubiquitous tools. However, there is a gap in the ability of our students to be able to apply the actual capabilities of these devices,...

SIUE has adopted the Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) tool to provide quality course reviews using evidence-based principles. Instructional designers are available for consultation at any time during the development of your course regardless of course delivery method – online, blended, or face-to-face, and they will use OSCQR to make recommendations on course design and content delivery. To request a consultation or course review, please complete the&...

Faculty, do you have students asking this question at the end of the semester? It's an unfortunate truth that some students wait until the end of the semester to check their grades and realize that they are not doing as well as they thought. Blackboard's Retention Center is one tool that can help faculty quickly identify and communicate with students who are falling behind (i.e. not logging in, missing deadlines, or falling short of specified course benchma...

Have you ever seen a really great interactive learning module and said, “I wish I could have that in my course!”? Now it can be a reality. The ITS Instructional Design & Learning Technologies group have been working on several modules already that have been beneficial not only to academic courses but to Springboard and other department training initiatives, as well.

Our first major project began with the Office of Admissions. They needed a learn...

I recently attended a conference focused on improving accessibility in higher education. One big takeaway for me was that accessibility isn't just about disability; it's about providing as many opportunities as possible for people to learn, often by identifying and reducing possible learning barriers. Captioning is an example of improving accessibility because, not only does it remove the barrier audio-centric content could pose to students with hearing impairments, it can add cl...

Looking for teaching tips in higher education? Teaching in Higher Ed has some excellent podcasts on digital pedagogy, students, work/life, and teaching. The podcasts are broken down into those 4 categories for easy exploration. I highly recommend you give them a listen!

We receive reports from faculty reaching their quota limit in Blackboard. What does that mean? Each Blackboard course can hold up to 2GB of content in its Content Collection. Every file an instructor uploads to a course (.pdf, .docx, video and audio files, etc.) will remain in its Content Collection, even if it's deleted from Coursework or another content area. While 2GB might be plenty of space for course Word documents and PDF files, large Power...

One of the perks of Blackboard is the ability to export content from one semester to the next, or share it to another faculty member in your department. However, if you've ever completed an import only to discover that your Grade Center is suddenly cluttered with columns that confuse both you and the students, use this checklist before and after your import to ensure a smooth process (and less student emails asking for clarification).

We have received inquiries about why folders in Blackboard are not displaying when Adaptive Release rules are set. In both cases, the faculty members were trying to use Adaptive Release settings to display folders during a certain time period. But this is not the intended purpose of the feature.

Adaptive Release was designed to be used in cases where 1.) you do not want content to be released until certain criteria have been met or 2.) you only want to show content to s...

ITS rolled out Microsoft Teams for faculty and staff this month. Teams is a new chat-based workspace in Office 365 which allows you and your project teams to easily collaborate to achieve more. All your favorite applications (Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.) are seamlessly integrated into Teams so that all files relevant to your project are organized and easily accessible from one platform.

Books will be available through Textbook Service before Winter Session begins (by early December). If students are traveling over break, they should be sure to get all required books before leaving campus.

When will Blackboard courses be ready?

Blackboard courses have already been created for winter courses. Two things to know: 1. Courses listed without an instructor in CougarNet (instructor "TBD") will not have an instructor in Blackboard. I...

Teaching over Winter Session? Check out these tips for making the fast-paced semester go as smoothly as possible.

Check Your Internet Access.
If you are traveling, call your destination ahead of time and ask about internet access. The best case scenario: you'll have unlimited access to a wired connection; second best: unlimited access to a strong wireless connection (check travel sites for WiFi reviews), or your own reliable hotspot. While yo...

Videos provide a flexible way to connect with students and deliver course content, especially in "flipped" or online classroom settings. We have many options when it comes to storing and sharing videos, but with a 2 GB course limit in Blackboard, uploading large video files directly to Blackboard usually isn't the best choice. As an alternative, here are four options for video storing and sharing, each with a specific set of features - and caveats - for you to consider.&#1...

Blackboard has some really great webcasts in their Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series (BITS). They feature faculty and other educational professionals who have integrated the use of Blackboard tools or other strategies to improve student learning. Register for a session and they will send you the recording if you are not able to attend. On the BITS registration page, you will also find previously recorded sessions. Check them out!

Faculty, have you seen this icon in your Blackboard courses? It is one of the new Blackboard Ally indicators and it can help you identify common accessibility issues before they become a problem.

Want to turn those red icons to green? ITS has scheduled 2-hour working sessions from now until the end of November. Members of the ITS Instructional Design & Learning Technologies team will be on hand if assistance is needed.

Respondus, the test authoring tool, has been upgraded! Respondus sports a new, stylish user interface with the same convenience of the original tool. Go to the Knowledge Base article Respondus Upgrade – Fall 2018 for instructions to upgrade your version of Respondus.

For more information about Respondus as a test authoring tool, see the Knowledge Base article About Respondus.